No, Everybody Is Not Free to Wear Sunscreen

The hot new drug kids are abusing is sold over the counter. It's cheap, it's easy to access, and children readily slather it all over their bodies for the full effect.

I'm talking, of course, about sunscreen: most parents consider its use a positive, as it prevents sunburns that can lead to skin cancer later in life. But more and more schools are regulating sunscreen use, putting some students in serious danger.

Take Violet and Zoe Michener, two sisters burned so badly that their mother took them to the hospital. Zoe has a form of albinism that puts her at higher risk for burns. But according to mom Jesse Michener, the girls would need a doctor's note to reapply sunscreen at school. They can't even carry it in their backpacks.

The Michener girls are students in the Tacoma School District. Spokesman Dan Voelpel explains the policy.

Because so many additives in lotions and sunscreens cause allergic reaction in children, you have to really monitor that.

While this happened in Washington, it's not exclusive to that state. Actually, California is the only state that doesn't require a doctor's note for students carrying sunscreen.

Sunscreen allergies are very rare — so why are schools so anti-kids protecting their skin? Sure, parents could go ahead and get those doctor's notes, but that's a lot of trouble for something that seems common sense.

It's not just the dangers of skin cancer: think of how prematurely we're aging these kids. If we don't allow sunscreen in schools, we're liable to raise a generation of leather-faced monsters. How do you think Tan Mom got started?